USCG proposes delay of TWIC Reader rule for certain facilities

On 22 June, the US Coast Guard published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register, to delay the effective date for certain facilities affected by the final rule entitled “Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) Reader Requirements,” which was published in the Federal Register on 23 August 2016.

The TWIC program, including the electronic inspection requirements, is an important component of the Coast Guard’s multi-layered system of access control requirements designed to enhance maritime security.

Namely, USCG proposes to delay the effective date for the following two categories of facilities by three years, until 23 August 2021:

• Facilities that handle certain dangerous cargoes in bulk, but do not transfer these cargoes to or from a vessel, and
• Facilities that receive vessels carrying certain dangerous cargoes in bulk, but do not, during that vessel-to-facility interface, transfer these bulk cargoes to or from those vessels.

Other vessels and facilities, including facilities that receive large passenger vessels and facilities regulated under 33 CFR 105.295 that handle certain dangerous cargoes in bulk and transfer it to or from a vessel, would still be required to comply with the final rule by 23 August 2018.

USCG is accepting comments and related materials regarding this NPRM until 23 July 2018.

Capt. Ryan Manning, chief of the Office of Port and Facility Compliance, said:

This proposed delay is to consider industry input asking us to reconsider the scope of the TWIC Reader final rule and to re-evaluate the underlying methodology used to determine the facilities subject to the electronic TWIC inspection requirements. The Coast Guard views public participation as essential to effective rulemaking and encourages comments be submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal.